Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) – June 18, 2026 - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announces that the 2026 Prince Edward Island (PEI) catch and retain tuna fishery will open on July 1, 2026 and end on October 31, 2026 or when the quota nears 0 mt. The catch and retain charter fishery for bluefin tuna will only be allowed in areas 4RST and 4WD to eligible and qualified charter operators.
2026 Management Measures
- Licence holders will be authorized to have a maximum of one fishing trip per calendar day.
- Fishing will be carried out by rod and reel only. A maximum of four fishing rod lines may be in the water at any given time during tuna fishing activities. Lines shall be tended to at all times and each line shall not have more than one hook attached. When a Bluefin tuna is hooked, all remaining lines must be removed from the water.
- The fishery is subject to 100% dockside monitoring.
- The fishery is subject to 100% Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) coverage. License holder/operator must notify DFO Conservation and Protection at least 72 hours prior to departure in order to have an EMS installed on the vessel.
- All Bluefin tuna shall be tagged with a DFO issued commercial Bluefin tuna tag immediately after the fish has been caught. At least one (1) valid unused commercial Bluefin tuna tag issued to the licence holder/operator shall be onboard the vessel before commencing a fishing trip.
- Licence holders participating in the catch and retain fishery are not eligible to participate in a partnership for the Bluefin tuna commercial fishery.
- Licence holder/operator shall only use the initial tags issued under the PEI Commercial Tuna Harvesting Plan. Tag transfers are not authorized.
- Licence holder/operator holding a Catch and Retain Charter Tuna licence, will not be authorized to transfer the vessel named in the licence to another commercial Bluefin tuna licence holder.
Mackerel Bait
Licence holders are permitted to catch and retain 20 live mackerel per fishing trip for bait purposes. This will be reflected in conditions of licence.
Hail Out
To hail out licence holders must call 1-833-699-2013 (toll free) or 1-506-431-3223 (satellite phone only), at least 1 hour prior to departure for any fishing trip.
Date Issued
Published